Israel filling in water challenges of Phl

With the decline of the coronavirus, the world has returned to focus on the most pressing existential threats – global warming and climate change. One of the main areas critically affected by climate change is the global rainfall cycle, resulting in less rain, more droughts and extreme rain events, bringing with them sometimes more destruction than blessings.

The close connection between the water crisis and the climate crisis was noted in the COP 27 summary statement and was a central theme in this year’s UN Water Conference on Water Day. While many places in the world have full access to clean tap water, in many others, this accessibility is limited and almost nonexistent.

In celebration of International Water Day, let me tell you how Israel made the desert bloom.

Israel is a model country for water management, which started from necessity. Half of our country is desert lands. It has experienced extreme water scarcity with the gap between its water demand and supply, in 2015 reaching one billion cubic meters.

For that reason, we developed water expertise at all levels. Israel is well-known as a Start-Up Nation. Water technologies is one of the leading fields of cutting-edge solutions of the Israeli companies. We have the most advanced water systems with an abundance of R&D and innovative technologies. One example is the treatment and recycling of sewage. Israel holds a world record in this field, with 95 percent of its wastewater being treated from which almost 90 percent is used again in agriculture. Today, the country produces 20 percent more water than it needs.

Another field in which Israel holds a world record is the prevention of water loss in urban systems. Today, the water losses in the National Water System are less than 3 percent and the average in the municipal infrastructure is less than 10 percent.

Seawater desalination (which supplies today more than 70 percent of our domestic needs), the use of brackish water in agriculture, drip irrigation, the development of agricultural varieties that consume less water, and even the extraction of water from air, were all developed in Israel. As a global hub of Innovation, Israel believes that innovative solutions to the water crisis should be a central part of dealing with climate change and water problems. The technology has to come with proper policies and regulation.

In my posting here as the Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines, I have personally witnessed the water challenges of the country, especially in many far-flung areas. The country, although a tropical country with a lot of rain, is facing water challenges.

Water resources management in the Philippines is complex given the multiplicity and overlapping range of functions of water-related agencies in the country. The Local Water Utilities Authority (LWUA) and the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), which is an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), are the primary regulatory agencies for water service providers in the country. Apart from these two regulatory agencies there are 34 entities with functional responsibilities in the water sector of the Philippines.

Because of the abovementioned challenge, there is a current push in the legislative branch of the government to create a Department of Water Resources that will integrate all of these functions. This was also highlighted in the first State of Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He said that this ‘will address the “critical” need for freshwater supply in the Philippines’.

The Embassy of Israel in Manila has been an active ally of the Philippine Government in promoting water-related innovations and technologies. For the past two years, Israel has been a partner in the Philippine Water Challenge, which currently serves as a platform for promoting pioneering innovative solutions to expand access to water supply and sanitation. Israel’s support through knowledge exchange, technical assistance, and capacity development will further provide new paradigms of water security, water management and a wide range of sustainable solutions.

Through MASHAV, Israel’s agency for International Development Cooperation, the Embassy is working on a knowledge exchange program to share our experience with key water agencies and with the legislative branch through the House Committee on Climate Change. It will include success factors and the enabling policies, structures, mechanisms and technologies that helped Israel advance water sector reforms and innovative solutions and technologies. We hosted (and will host more) Israeli water companies and organized for them business to business meetings.

In an effort to support access to potable water, the Israeli Embassy donated Israeli-made water filtration units to typhoon-stricken areas in Bohol and Dinagat in December 2021, to the indigenous community in Nueva Ecija, and to the Dumagat tribe in Davao. The portable water filtration unit is ideal for use in far-flung areas with limited access to clean and safe drinking water. In addition, the embassy has conducted a water management seminar for local government units in Mindanao. We are eager to work with relevant partners to emulate it on a national level.

In a Water Forum recently held at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, President Marcos said that the Philippines has to learn from Israel on how to reuse every drop of water. He visited a booth presenting Israeli technology of water purification (and desalination) implemented in the Philippines. Mr. President, Israel is more than willing to extend help to see water-deficit areas in the Philippines finally having access to clean potable water, lifting their glasses, and saying cheers! L’chaim!

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Ilan Fluss is the Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines.